Reinforced garment bag



Jan. 4', 1944. A. F. ZIEGLER REINFORCED GARMENT BAG Filed June 4, 1941.

1N VENTOR.

ATTORNEY 5 Patented Jan. 4, 1944 REINFORCED GARMENT BAG Albert F.Ziegler, Cheviot, Ohio, assignor to 010- 7 pay Corporation, Cincinnati, Ohio, at corporation of Maryland Application June 4, 1941, Serial No. 396,605

1 Claim. (01. 206-7) This invention relates to garment storage bags and is more particularly directed to improved and strengthened sealing means for the hanger hook opening at the top of the bag.

It has been an object of the present invention to provide sealing means which will effectively seal a garment storage bag against moths and dirt and at the same time reinforce a com paratively large area around the hanger hook opening'at the top of the bag.

Another object has been to provide an inexpensive sealing means for a garment bag which may be simply and easily closed and when closed is of neat appearance and has no protruding edges or unsightly folds.

Another object has been to provide sealing means for the hanger hook opening in a clothing storage bag which is adapted to eifectively seal the opening even when two or more hangers are utilized.

Another object has been to provide a sealing means which is adaptable to any standard heavy paper garment bag to render it completely dust and moth proof and which is much stronger, and which reinforces the hanger hook opening much better than sealing means used in the past.

In fulfilling these objectives, the present invention contemplates a sealing means which includes a pair of slitted sticker tabs, one substantially larger than the other which are secured respectively to the rear and front of the bag in the area adjacent the opening for the hanger hook at the top of the bag. The smaller slitted tab is adapted to be folded over the hanger hook opening with the two flaps provided by the slit fitting snugly around the shank of the hanger hook; whereas the larger flap is adapted to be folded over from the opposite side of the bag onto the smaller tab with its flaps also fitting snugly around the shank of the hanger hook.

The smaller tab seals and reinforces the area immediately adjacent the opening whereas the larger tab provides a secondary seal and extends over a comparatively larger area to distribute the straining forces which tend to tear out the opening over a considerable portion of the top of the bag. The smaller tab is so constructed that it may be folded snugly around the hanger hook and may be manipulated to substantially completely close the opening. The larger tab is not only glued down onto the smaller tab when it is folded over, but is also glued to the bag in the areas surrounding the smaller tab. In this way a double thickness is provided in the areas immediately around the opening to strengthen the opening itself and to distribute the tearing strains occurring atthe opening" over a substantially large area around the hanger hook opening.

With the reinforced'seal of this invention more and heavier garments can be stored in one bag because even with the bag strained around a number of heavy winter overcoats, the seal provided here so firmly reinforcesthe top of the bag that the hanger hook will not tear out when the garments are suspended and strains imposed on the hook. Another advantage of the present seal is that it is strong enough to resist tearin even if weightis placed in the bottom of the bag. Thuadraperi'es,blankets, and long heavy winter overcoats resting on the base of the inside of the bag do not disturb or break the seal.

Other objectives and advantages will be apparent from the following description of the drawing in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of a garment storage bag provided with seal means embodying the present invention.

Figure 2 is a sectional View taken on line 2--2 in Figure 1.

Figures 3 and 4 are fragmentary sectional views similar to Figure 2 showing the seal means in two steps for closing the hanger hook openmg.

Figure 5 is an enlarged, fragmentary, front elevational view showing the seal means closed.

A garment storage bag to which the present invention is particularly adaptable is indicated generally at II]. This bag is made from a tube of paper which is flattened and then folded over angularly at the top corners to provide inclined shoulder portions which slope from a central opening H in the top of the bag. The hanger hook, indicated at l2, extends through the opening H inthe conventional manner.

In the example shown, the garments are placed in the bag through the open bottom. After they are inside, the bag may be sealed at this point by the adhesive strip l3.

The opening H is sealed by two slitted, adhesive tabs. The tabs are similarly configurated although one is substantially larger than the other. The smaller tab is indicated at M and the larger tab is indicated at E5. Preferably, the tabs are made from a tear-resistant fabric or heavy paper which is coated with glue on the under side. The tabs are slitted approximately half way through from the one edge thereof to constitute, in both instances, a pair of flaps I6 and I1.

The smaller tab I4 is preferably lightly longer than the opening II. It is glued to the one face of the bag adjacent the opening with the flaps extending upwardly above the bag and the slit centered with the opening. The larger tab i5 is similarly positioned on the other face of the bag. Preferably the bag is marketed in this condition; that is, as shown in Figure 1, with the seal open.

In sealing the bag after the garments are enclosed, the smaller tab M is sealed first. The flaps I6 and I! are folded over the top of the bag and drawn snugly around the shank portion I 8 of the hook hanger 12. Due to the sloping construction of the shoulders of the bag, the flaps overlap one another when glued down over the top edge of the bag. For the optimum sealing action, the shank of the hanger hook should be snugly engaged in the crotch of the slit in the tab. Therefore, the flaps of the smaller tab, when overlapped, entirely encircle the shank.

With the small tab sealed, the shank I8 is engaged on one side by the crotch or inner end of the slit. On the other side the shank is engaged by the V formed by the overlapped flaps. Obviously, the V side is substantially stronger and more resistant to tearing than the crotch side of the tab. When the larger tab is folded over the top of the smaller tab M from the opposite side of the bag, the conditions are reversed.

Although the V side of the small tab is on the one side of the shank, the V side of the larger tab is on the opposite side. The flaps of the larger tab are overlapped and folded down over the top of the bag just as the smaller tab is folded. Thus, both sides of the shank are engaged by a crotch and a V lap joint. The double thickness at the V provides tear resistance and the snug fitting crotch provides an effective seal against moths and dust.

Before final sealing the larger tab is glued to the face of the bag below the ends of the flaps of the sealed smaller tab (Figure 3). When the larger tab is sealed, it is not only glued to the upper face of the smaller tab, but it is also u d to the bag in the area surrounding the smaller tab. The area immediately around the opening ll receives the major part of any strain on the bag and this strain is eifectively resisted by the double thickness of sealing material. Since the larger tab is glued to a substantially large portion of the bag material around the smaller tab the strains are distributed over a comparatively large area.

Having described my invention, I claim:

In a garment storage bag, seal means comprising a larger tab and a smaller tab secured to said bag on opposite faces thereof and adapted to be positioned one over the other; each tab being slit inwardly and downwardly from one edge thereof to provide a pair of flaps, the smaller tab being adapted to be folded around the hanger hook opening with its flaps engaged around the shank of the hanger hook and overlapped one on the other and the larger tab being adapted to be secured to the outer surface of the smaller tab and to the portion of the bag around the edges of the smaller tab with its flaps likewise overlapped and engaged around the shank of the hanger hook in reverse position from the flaps of the smaller tab.

ALBERT F. ZIEGLER. 

